Water and coal gas manufacturing apparatus.



H. w. BENNER. WATER AND GOAL GAS MANUFACTURING APPARATUS.

' APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 24, 1908.

918,727 I Patented Apr; 20, 1909;

H W BENNER WATER AND GOAL GAS MANUFACTURING APPARATUS.

APPLIOATI OK FILED SEPT. 24, 1908.

Patented Apr. 20, 1909.

anwnloz UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY W. BENNER, OF OHAMBERSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

AND COAL GAS MANUFACTURING APPARATUS.

paratus, and has for its principal object to provide a novel form of apparatus for the economical production of both water gas and coal gas. g

A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus in which a portion of the heat ordinarily wasted in the process of heating up the superheater is utilized in the I distillation of coal and the production of coal g s A. s ill f rthe object f he inv n ion is t provide an apparatus combining means for the production of both water and coal gas, the arts being so arranged that the coke resu ting from the distillation of thecoal may be utilized in the producer in the manu facture of the water gas.

With these and other objects in view, as will more fully hereinafter 'a pear, the inven tion consists in certain nove features of construction and arrangement of parts, hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the, ac companying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportions, size and minor details of the structure may be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings :Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a gas plant con Structed and arranged in accordance with the invention. same, partly in section, on the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

The producer 10 is of well known construction corn rising a preferably cylindrical iron shell lined with fi b ick and provided wi h a suitable grating 11 whic y e Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 24, 1908.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the Patented April 20, 1909.

Serial No, 454,495.

formed of fire brick or of metal, and below the grate is an ash pit 12, provided with a door indicated at 12, Fig. 2, which door may be opened for the purpose of admitting air at the starting of the operation. At a point below the grate is an air blast pipe 13 through which air under pressure is forced when running a heat. At the top of the producer is a steam pipe connection 14 through which steam is introduced after the mass of fuel on thegrate has reached the required degree of incandescence. The operation of this portion of the apparatus is well known, the coke or other carbon on the grate being burned until it reaches an incandescent state, after which the draft is cut off and steam is forced through the pipe 14 downward through the mass of incandescence fuel, the steam being decomposed and form,- i-ng a water gas consisting of free hydrogen, carbonic OX'lCl, and a percentage of carbonic acid.

At a point adjacent the producer 10 is a superheater15 which may be of the ordinary construction, that is to say, having a lining of firebrick, and filled with checker-work fire brick which is heated to a very high tempera ture, and into which the water gas ordinarily passes and is converted into a fixed gas by contact with the highly heated checkerwork. In the, present instance, however, the products of combustion from the producer are not sent directly to the superheater, but are utilized for the purpose of distilling coal and the manufacture of a coal gas.

Arranged adjacent the producer and the superheater 15 is a casing 20 which may be of any desired size and shape, but in the present instance is shown as of generally rectangular form. This casing is provided with a lining of asbestos and fire brick 21, and within the casing are arranged one or more retorts 22 that are supplied with bituminous coal to be distilled. The retorts are ar ranged vertically and extend from top to bottom of the casing, said retorts being preferably of generally rectangular form in cross section and gradually tapering from one end to. the other, the largest end being at the bottom, so that the retorts will be self dischargthe purpose of allowing the coke to fall by the retorts will be distilled and the gas will gravity into the pit 24 and from thence it may be loaded into the producer while still hot.

At the upper end of each retort is a casing 24 at the top of which is a feed hopper 25, and at the bottom of the feed hopper is a suitable valve 26 which is in closed position dur ing the process of distillation. This valve may be opened for the purpose of allowing the coal to flow from the hopper into the retort. The casings 24 are connected to a pipe 26 which leads to a hydraulic main of any ordinary type, where the tar and other heavy matter is deposited, while the coal gas may pass on to any of the ordinary purifying devices.

Surrounding the retort is a checker-work fire-brick 28 which terminates short of the top of the chamber forming an open space that is placed in communication with the top of the producer 10 by a pipe 30, and in this pipe is arranged a valve 31 which is moved to an open position when running a heat, so that the prod nets of combustion from the mass of carbon in the producer may pass through the pipe 30 to the top of the chamber 20 where the gases are met by a current of air entering tl'irough the blast pipe 33, thus supplying the initial oxygen necessary for the support of combustion. The products of combustion pass downward through the checker work 28 heating the checker work and the retorts to a very high temperature, so that the coal will be distilled and the vapor will pass off through the casing 24 and pipe 26 to the hydraulic main.

Leading from the lower portion of the easing 20 to the bottom of the superheater is a pipe 35 having a controlling valve 36, and this valve is opened while running a heat, so that the products of combustion after leaving the casing may enter the superheater for the purpose of raising the temperature of r the latter to an extent suflicient to fix the water gas. The products of combustion entering the lower portion of the superheater are met by a blast of air that enters through a pipe 37 and the process of combustion will be practically completed in the su erheater, the waste gases passing out throug i an opening 38 at the top of said superheater.

In carrying out the invention, carbon, preferably the coke discharged from the retorts 22, is placed in the producer 10 and the two valves 31 and 36 are opened, while air is forced through the several blast connections 13, 33 and 37. The products of combustion arising from the mass of carbon in the producer will pass through the pipe to the chamber 20 where it will be met by the air from the pipe 33. The products of combustion then pass down through the checker work 28 and around the retorts heating the latter to such an extent that the coal within pass off to the hydraulic main, as previously described. After leaving the bottom of the casing 20 the products of combustion pass through the pipe to the lower portion of the superheater and thence u ward through the checker work of the super eater and out through the final discharge 38, heating the superheater to an extent sufficient to fix the water gas which is subsequently produced in H the producer 10.

The lower portion of the producer is connected to the lower portion of the su erheater by a pipe 40 having a valve 41 w iich is always closed when running a heat.

After running a heat, which usually occupies from five to eight minutes, the valves 31 and 36 are closed and the vent valve 43 in the pipe 35 is opened in order to allow any gas which may remain in the chamber 20 to escape. The supply of heat from the producer is thus cut off from the chamber 20, but the heat retained by the checker work will be suliicient to carry on the process of distillation during the short interval of time that the valves 31 and 36 are closed. The valve 41 is now open after all of the air blast connections have been closed, and steam is introduced through the pipe 14 into the top of the producer and this steam is forced down through the mass of incandescent fuel and is decomposed into its constituent elements the oxygen uniting with the carbon to form carbonic oxid, and the free hydrogen carbonic oxid and a small percentage of car bonic acid passing off as water gas through the pipe 40 to the bottom of the superheater. This gas passes up through the superheater and becomes fixed by contact with the highly heated checker work and while passing into or through the superheater an additional qlpantity of carbon may be added to enrich t e gas by injecting a small quantity of hydrocarbon under ressure through a pipe 51, or by the aid of t e steam jet, so as to en- 110 rich the gas to an extent sufficient to allow it to be used for illuminating purposes, if desired. This gas passes out through the pipe to the scrubbers and other purifying apparatus. After a short time the temperature of 5 the carbon in the producer is reduced to such an extent as to be no longer available in the formation of water gas, and the valve 41 is then closed, while the valves 31 and 36 are opened to run another heat.

It will be noted that the retorts are arranged adjacent the producer, so that the resultant coke while still in a heated condition may be readily transferred to the producer and there utilized in the manner de- 125 scribed.

It is, of course, obvious that in some cases the superheater may be eliminated and the entire volume of producer gas utilized in heating the retort chamber for the produc- 1w Y for the distillation of carbonaceous material,

a retort containing chamber, checker work fire brick arranged within the chamber and surrounding the retort, a superheater 0r fixing chamber, and valved connections between the producer and the retort containing chamber, between the retort containing chamber and the superheater, and between the producer and the superheater, whereby the products of combustion in running a heat may be directed into the retort containing chamber and then out OK during the gas making operation and the passage of the water gas to the superheater.

3. In combination, a gas producer, a superheater, a coal-gas-retort containing chamber arranged between the producer and the superheater, and means for coupling the gas producer to the superheater either directly or through the retort chamber at will.

4. In combination, a gas producer, a coalgas-retort containing chamber, a superheater, means for directing the products of combustion from the roducer into the said chamber and from t ence to the superheater, and

means for cutting off the connections from the gas producer to the retort chamber and for then causing the water gas from the producer to flow directly into the superheater.

5. In combination, a gas roducer, a coalgas-retort containing cham er separate and distinct from the gas producer, a superheater, air blast pipes leading into each of said members, and valved connections be tween the said members whereby the products of combustion may, at will, be caused to ass from the producer into said chamber and from thence into the superheater, and whereby the water gas may, at will, be caused to pass directly from the producer to the superheater.

6. In apparatus of the class described, a gas producer, a vertically disposed retort tapering from top to bottom, a discharge valve at the bottom of the retort, a casing arranged at the top of the said retort, a gas discharge pipe leading from the casing, a su ply hopper connected to the casing, a vaIve controlling communication between the hopper and the casing, a chamber containing the retort, checker Work fire brick arrangedwithin said chamber and surrounding the said retort, a connection between the gas producer, and the said chamber, asuperheater, a connection between the chamber and the superheater, and a connection between the gas producer and the superheater.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence or" two witnesses.

HENRY W. BENNER.

Witnesses:

M. ALICE FROMMEYER, GEORGE W. ATHERTON. 

